Sara2009 February 17, 2015 Author Share February 17, 2015 I thought it was pretty obvious Caracas was referring to the "kid" actors since she didn't mention Matt, Jayma, Dot, or Jane. Caracas didn't specify, so I wasn't sure. Link to comment
Ceeg February 17, 2015 Share February 17, 2015 Isn't possible that the songs will be lowered for him? LOL yes. Broadway has to lower keys all the time for Special Guest Actors. Link to comment
Hana Chan February 17, 2015 Share February 17, 2015 I thought about that too when I saw the NPH video, don't know if it's possible. For some glam rockers the high notes were the whole point, the glam flash so to speak. Whoever has seen the musical (Hana Chan mentioned it), maybe can give opinion. A lot, but not all, of the songs are pretty soaring and have a heavy glam rock feel. The range is going to be a big issue for Darren because every time he's been giving songs on Glee that would fit in that genre (like Queen) have been problematic at best. He just doesn't have the range or the vocal strength to pull off those numbers without scream singing, so this is going to be a real challenge. But there's a lot of emotion in Hedwig's songs that have to come through even with all the power. This is a really sad, tragic character in a lot of ways and that emotion has to come out in the performance. There's a big balance between the upbeat numbers and the sadness in the character and I really question if Darren has the nuance to pull that off. This is a great example of that balance (along with the glam elements). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5V7_PSD4Sc&feature=player_detailpage 2 Link to comment
ancslove February 17, 2015 Share February 17, 2015 Some solos might be lowered (or have alternate arrangements), but it would be hard to lower more ensemble songs, because that affects the other performers. I'll say that the Broadway fans do not have a high opinion of any Glee actor, including Lea Michele. Stuntcasting any Glee star is going to receive pushback. OTOH, Darren has a stage background, and all the Glee kids have singing backgrounds now, and Broadway has done a lot worse in stunt-casting. A lot worse. That said, whether this particular stage role is the right fit for Darren remains to be seen. Link to comment
Pink ranger February 17, 2015 Share February 17, 2015 I dislike the not so invisible divide between "adult" and "kid" that often happens. Matt and Jane have been with the show its entire run Dot from season 2 and between them have recieved a major proportion of the individual acting acolades awarded to the show lol. It's kind of dismissive to talk about " the cast" and omit them. 1 Link to comment
caracas1914 February 17, 2015 Share February 17, 2015 Jane is not hurting at all with Glee ending. Link to comment
Sara2009 February 17, 2015 Author Share February 17, 2015 Some solos might be lowered (or have alternate arrangements), but it would be hard to lower more ensemble songs, because that affects the other performers. I'll say that the Broadway fans do not have a high opinion of any Glee actor, including Lea Michele. Stuntcasting any Glee star is going to receive pushback. OTOH, Darren has a stage background, and all the Glee kids have singing backgrounds now , and Broadway has done a lot worse in stunt-casting. A lot worse. That said, whether this particular stage role is the right fit for Darren remains to be seen. I think the difference is that most Broadway fans concede that Lea( or Matt) can usually handle the parts they're cast for. They might not like them because their appeal has been lessened due to " Glee," but their ability to do a show isn't questioned. For one thing they have award nominations that give them credibility on Broadway. The response to Darren in " How To Succeed" was tepid at best from the people who weren't already fans of his. Link to comment
Ceeg February 17, 2015 Share February 17, 2015 I dislike the not so invisible divide between "adult" and "kid" that often happens. Matt and Jane have been with the show its entire run Dot from season 2 and between them have recieved a major proportion of the individual acting acolades awarded to the show lol. It's kind of dismissive to talk about " the cast" and omit them. I think it's probably because, aside from Lea Michele, all the kid cast were unknowns. The adult cast were all pretty established in their careers. So, no one is really wondering if Jane or Matt or Jayma will get more work, because of course they will. And most already do. All the kid cast, though, are virtually blank slates, so it will be interesting to watch their career paths after Glee is over. And it's why their respective careers get more focus and attention, because there are bigger question marks there. 6 Link to comment
fakeempress February 17, 2015 Share February 17, 2015 So Matt and Darren will be on B'way almost at the same time, Matt starting earlier of course. Link to comment
Sara2009 February 17, 2015 Author Share February 17, 2015 I think it's probably because, aside from Lea Michele, all the kid cast were unknowns. The adult cast were all pretty established in their careers. So, no one is really wondering if Jane or Matt or Jayma will get more work, because of course they will. And most already do. All the kid cast, though, are virtually blank slates, so it will be interesting to watch their career paths after Glee is over. And it's why their respective careers get more focus and attention, because there are bigger question marks there. Matt and Lea weren't known outside of Broadway, though. Link to comment
Ceeg February 17, 2015 Share February 17, 2015 (edited) Matt and Lea weren't known outside of Broadway, though. That doesn't delegitimize their pre-Glee careers, just because it's not a genre that's "popular". They were both two of the most consistently working actors on Broadway. So, they weren't "unknowns" to the same degree that Cory and Naya and Chris and the other kids were. Lea and Matt were the entire reason I started watching this godforsaken show. Edited February 17, 2015 by Ceeg Link to comment
SevenStars February 17, 2015 Share February 17, 2015 I dislike the not so invisible divide between "adult" and "kid" that often happens. Matt and Jane have been with the show its entire run Dot from season 2 and between them have recieved a major proportion of the individual acting acolades awarded to the show lol. It's kind of dismissive to talk about " the cast" and omit them. I think the reason people make this distinction when it comes to what actors are going to do after Glee is because the "adult" group have shown that they have the ability to keep moving forward after Glee base on their past work. But for most of the "kids" Glee is their first big job and only now, after Glee, we will whether they are going to succeed or not. They are like children we saw grow-up in front of us on the show, so we are curious to see how far they go in this business. 3 Link to comment
phoenixrising February 17, 2015 Share February 17, 2015 I've only seen the movie version of Hedwig, like 5 years ago, but from what I remember, I really don't see Darren having the edge to pull that off. His voice is too clean-cut for that kind of role, but movie versions don't tend to have as strong of a cast as stage productions, so who knows. Link to comment
caracas1914 February 17, 2015 Share February 17, 2015 (edited) Geez, sorry I thought it was a given that Jane, Matt , Jayma will be more than busy once Glee ends. They already are, no? Sure Jayma's sitcom was cancelled but I'm sure she's got more projects she's being offerred. Its the (prior to Glee) unknown younger cast that there was alot of speculation about. Edited February 17, 2015 by caracas1914 2 Link to comment
camussie February 17, 2015 Share February 17, 2015 (edited) I dislike the not so invisible divide between "adult" and "kid" that often happens. Matt and Jane have been with the show its entire run Dot from season 2 and between them have recieved a major proportion of the individual acting acolades awarded to the show lol. It's kind of dismissive to talk about " the cast" and omit them. I think people should post about what they want to and not feel a need to include everybody else lest they get reminded or lectured they left off somebody else's favorite. Edited February 17, 2015 by camussie 5 Link to comment
Sara2009 February 17, 2015 Author Share February 17, 2015 FWIW, I wasn't trying to " lecture" anyone. I just thought people were trying to list all the cast members who had projects announced. Link to comment
Pink ranger February 17, 2015 Share February 17, 2015 I didn't say that people shouldn't only talk about their favourites but if a discussion is about the "whole cast" then dont omit a section of them. It's not about the whole cast then. Link to comment
camussie February 17, 2015 Share February 17, 2015 (edited) Makes no sense to me that someone would remind another poster they left some of the actors off instead of just listing the ones they felt weren't included. For example Cory is my favorite and of course he won't have any post Glee projects due to his passing but he did use that summer between seasons 3 and 4 to shoot a couple of indies, probably to expand his horizons but also to build body of work up up in anticipation of Glee ending someday. Of the two, I really enjoyed McCanick. Not only because it was an entirely different role for Cory but also because I am a long time fan of both David Morse and Cirian Hinds. Edited February 17, 2015 by camussie Link to comment
Sara2009 February 17, 2015 Author Share February 17, 2015 On the topic of Darren, don't most Broadway performers have vocal coaches? Link to comment
caracas1914 February 17, 2015 Share February 17, 2015 I know Chord has an Indie film coming out that he filmed last summer... Link to comment
tom87 February 17, 2015 Share February 17, 2015 On the topic of Darren, don't most Broadway performers have vocal coaches? Yes and doctors. Link to comment
Sara2009 February 17, 2015 Author Share February 17, 2015 I've never seen this show or heard the score, but is there any way to omit the soaring high notes and still have a good performance? I guess I'm trying to figure out how this could possibly work. Despite Darren not having a Broadway voice, there ARE some shows that he could be decent in. I'm just not sure " Hedwig" is one of them. Link to comment
Hana Chan February 17, 2015 Share February 17, 2015 Sure, you could eliminate all the high notes. And strip away the distinctive elements that make that score so great. I hope that Darren is up to the task. I may not like him, but I don't wish failure on someone and he's taking on a huge challenge. He's already facing a lot of fans of the show that are dismissing him as stunt casting, that he's too young and doesn't have the singing or acting chops to pull off the character. He's got to prove them wrong and that's a big mountain to climb. This is a much longer run than his previous attempt at Broadway and he's going to need to appeal to more than his Glee/Starkids fans to fill the theater. 1 Link to comment
Ceeg February 17, 2015 Share February 17, 2015 I remember when Taye Diggs took over for Norbert Leo Butz in Wicked for a couple of weeks, they changed the score up to accommodate his voice, because he's more of a baritone. Marie Osmond played Maria Von Trapp in a touring company once and they lowered the keys for her. Toni Braxton was Aida in Aida the musical, lowered keys all around. Broadway shows work around recasts all the time. Mostly because Broadway will put almost literally anyone in their shows as a recast with decent credits and/or a household name. Professional musicians can tweak scores around vocal limits. At the end of the day, they just want to fill seats in the audience. 1 Link to comment
Sara2009 February 17, 2015 Author Share February 17, 2015 Will there be reviews of Darren's performance, or do critics typically not review replacements? Link to comment
MizStaken February 17, 2015 Share February 17, 2015 So excited for this news and for Darren. Can't wait to see this, should be interesting. And yes, I'm sure there will be reviews. Link to comment
Danielle87 February 17, 2015 Share February 17, 2015 That's great news for Darren. I've never seen the show other than watching NPH Tony performance, but John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask seem to think he's more than up to the task, and they would know better than anyone else. 1 Link to comment
caracas1914 February 17, 2015 Share February 17, 2015 They think he'll bring up tickete sales, which as Ceeg says, is the bigger deal. Most BW pros can work around vocal limitations. It's definitely a challenge for him (like the Noel Coward movie is for Chris) so since we were talking about artistically challenging that is somethng that fits. Interesting that both Darren and Chris got "gay" roles in their first post Glee acting gigs. 1 Link to comment
Sara2009 February 17, 2015 Author Share February 17, 2015 Chris, Darren, and Matt are all stepping outside of their comfort zones. Link to comment
MizStaken February 17, 2015 Share February 17, 2015 I don't think Matt is outside his comfort zone at all, he's a Broadway alum and knows the ropes. Chris, yeah he's going to be mixing it up. Wondering if he can pull off the accent. Now Darren, this is going to be interesting. Waaaaaayyyy different thing for him even though having done Broadway this is a horse of an entirely different color. Curious to see if he can pull it off. If he does, well, I can't imagine him going anywhere but up. I got my ticket! Link to comment
Pink ranger February 17, 2015 Share February 17, 2015 (edited) Matt still has to pull off a Scottish acent for his role and this is the first time that he will be the central protagonist of a show. His roles in a Hairspray, LITP and South Pacific where more supporting roles. Edited February 17, 2015 by Pink ranger Link to comment
jaytee1812 February 17, 2015 Share February 17, 2015 Chris, yeah he's going to be mixing it up. Wondering if he can pull off the accent. Yeah Chris is done for if he doesn't get that accent right. We're brutal over here with things like that. Link to comment
fedek February 17, 2015 Share February 17, 2015 Like a month ago ago Hedwig composer Stephen Trask mentioned he could see Darren in the role and I just thought OH NO (and pretty much thought he must have the hots for him). Just happy that I'll be seeing JCM in a few weeks (hopefully as he's currently out injured). I'm a huge fan of the show (saw it in the '90s and last August with NPH) and imo Darren does not have the singing or acting chops for this role. But it's brave of him, fo' sure, so good luck to him. Link to comment
jaytee1812 February 17, 2015 Share February 17, 2015 Matt still has to pull off a Scottish acent for his role Oh god no. I hope it's better than Mel Gibson's!! Link to comment
caracas1914 February 17, 2015 Share February 17, 2015 Well Matt had to pull an Italian accent for "Light in the Piazza". What I do think is that along with Lea, Matt has the vocal training and technique for a Broadway role such as "Neverland". Jeremy Jordan from all accounts was more than serviceable in the role but It appears that Weinstein is very impressed with Matt. I do think physically Matt fills the Barrie role easier than Jordan, who projects much "younger". Link to comment
Pink ranger February 17, 2015 Share February 17, 2015 Overcoming that theater community negativity after his casting over Jordan will be one of his initial challenges. However if he nails the role he could get his second Tony nomination this spring. 1 Link to comment
Sara2009 February 17, 2015 Author Share February 17, 2015 Well Matt had to pull an Italian accent for "Light in the Piazza". What I do think is that along with Lea, Matt has the vocal training and technique for a Broadway role such as "Neverland". Jeremy Jordan from all accounts was more than serviceable in the role but It appears that Weinstein is very impressed with Matt. I do think physically Matt fills the Barrie role easier than Jordan, who projects much "younger". And many actual Italians thought his accent was quite good. I don't think Matt is outside his comfort zone at all, he's a Broadway alum and knows the ropes. Chris, yeah he's going to be mixing it up. Wondering if he can pull off the accent. Now Darren, this is going to be interesting. Waaaaaayyyy different thing for him even though having done Broadway this is a horse of an entirely different color. Curious to see if he can pull it off. If he does, well, I can't imagine him going anywhere but up. I got my ticket! This is a very different role for Matt, though. Most of his others were some variation on the dreamy guy who sings. J.M Barrie is a much darker and more complex character. Link to comment
jaytee1812 February 17, 2015 Share February 17, 2015 Well Matt had to pull an Italian accent for "Light in the Piazza". What I do think is that along with Lea, Matt has the vocal training and technique for a Broadway role such as "Neverland". Jeremy Jordan from all accounts was more than serviceable in the role but It appears that Weinstein is very impressed with Matt. He'll probably be fine but it's just that automatic flinch at the thought of a non-Scot doing a Scottish accent. 1 Link to comment
caracas1914 February 17, 2015 Share February 17, 2015 (edited) Yes, so Matt back on Broadway is hardly a shocker to me. If he hadn't taken the Glee role I would have expected him by now to have taken a few BW leads (as I would have thought Lea would have). If anything, Glee stopped their BW paths, but in a good way. As to the Scottish accent, i don't think other than native Scots ( JJRAY that's YOU) if it's serviceable it will probably be fine for most of the GA. It's not as if anybody knows how JM Barrie sounded like. Chris accent is more challenging because Noel Coward's way of speaking was a very big part of his persona/image. If it's not beleivable he's sunk and the English audience won't be very forgiving. Which leads me to Americans and British actors trying on accents, alot of times they are OK but there is somethign missing. British "American" accents many times can seem off, it's not that easy to pull off, and of course vice versa. Not everyone can be a Meryl Streep. Anne Hathaway did a role a couple of years ago, and even as an American I was distracted by her English accent, it was just NO , Anne. Edited February 17, 2015 by caracas1914 Link to comment
camussie February 17, 2015 Share February 17, 2015 (edited) I just wish Chris got to say my favorite Noel Coward quip of all time “a statue should be erected to Mrs. Simpson in every town in England for the blessing she had bestowed upon the country.” In reference to the fact that her marriage to Edward VIII led to him stepping down from the throne which led to George VI being king during WWII, a job he was far more suitable for than his Nazi sympathizing feckless brother. Unfortunately this was after the time period the movie takes place in, ETA: I changed this at the same time Caracas was posting because I remembered it was Noel at a younger age. Edited February 17, 2015 by camussie Link to comment
caracas1914 February 17, 2015 Share February 17, 2015 Unfortunately I think Chris Noel only goes up to age 25, which covers up to 1924/25. Though maybe they will do the padded old age look for a flashforward scene. Link to comment
Pink ranger February 17, 2015 Share February 17, 2015 (edited) For me An important thing is that Finding Neverland gives Matt the opportunity to prove that he can be a bankable leading man of a major project after his role on Glee has systematically declined over the years. I know that he has been on Broadway before but showing producers that he has more value than being the exposition guy who writes the theme of the week on a white board week after week could be great for his career prospects. Edited February 17, 2015 by Pink ranger 1 Link to comment
caracas1914 February 17, 2015 Share February 17, 2015 I think Matt was chomping at the bit to get out of Glee , and to do stage work again. Thrilled for him because I think he's so versatile and talented. Link to comment
jaytee1812 February 17, 2015 Share February 17, 2015 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2980626/?from_app=ios&ref_=ext_iost_tt_imdbWS Jenna's Executive Producer on this documentary Twinsters. It's about two sisters adopted separately on different continents who meet through social media. 1 Link to comment
fakeempress February 18, 2015 Share February 18, 2015 He'll probably be fine but it's just that automatic flinch at the thought of a non-Scot doing a Scottish accent. Is there a "generic" Scottish accent that foreign actors go for? Some foreign actors sound off in their US accent because it comes out very undefined or "generic" - unless they have to pull off strictly regional. Aussies are good with their American accents. Link to comment
caracas1914 February 18, 2015 Share February 18, 2015 I bow to no one in my love of the thespian God .....Ewan McGregor, and even I think his American accents are hit and miss. The one in "Osage Country", just no. Nothing wrong but it was generic in the worst way. Link to comment
camussie February 18, 2015 Share February 18, 2015 (edited) Cory did a decent on the spot British accent when asked to do it an interview. It needs work, especially to be more London specific, but decent for something he did on the fly. Here it is Edited February 18, 2015 by camussie Link to comment
Hana Chan February 18, 2015 Share February 18, 2015 Chris did an interview where he very briefly spoke in the accent (to show how distinctive it is) and he's been working with a diction coach for some time. I think that he's probably about as well prepared to tackle the part as he could be. If anything, he's going to have an advantage that he's not so much doing a British accent, but the Noel Cowards accent/cadence. It's markedly different. As for Darren... I'm not going to poo poo him taking on what is going to be a huge challenge as an actor. This is going way outside of anything we've seen him do and I won't condemn him for being ambitious. I think that this run is a real test of him both as an actor and to see what his draw really is. When he did his last Broadway run, it was for only three weeks. Twelve weeks is still a pretty short run, but it's going to require a lot more stamina on Darren's part (and it'll be obviously pretty early on if he's got the steam to carry him through). But it's also a test to see if he's going to get asses in the seats. It's not unexpected that his Glee/Starkids fans would fill theaters for a few weeks, but for a run of three months he's got to pull in an audience outside that group. Then there are the critics, who might pay more attention to a run like this than they would a three week stint. If this works, then Darren would have a valid argument to get a role that he can originate on Broadway, and do a full run (where he would be expected for perform for upwards of six months). Not to mention if he can keep theaters full once his Glee/Starkids fans see him. Link to comment
Pink ranger February 18, 2015 Share February 18, 2015 Most actors who open shows on Broadway aren't actually very well known outside of their NYC bubble. A lot of them are next to nobodies but are talented and paid their dues in the ensumbles or national tours ect. I could see Darren opening a show within a year or so based on his background. Link to comment
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